Most trainings sessions will be virtual

Community Development Works, a program of The Rapides Foundation, is offering free skill-building trainings for Cenla residents and nonprofits. A majority of the trainings will be in the form of webinars that can be accessed from computers or other devices.

CDW trainings are free of charge. Topics are geared toward nonprofit staff, board members and volunteers, and people interested in starting a nonprofit. The webinars, plus two in-house workshops, run from September through November.

Fall trainings are presented within the following topic areas: the Start-Up Series for Nonprofits, the Grant Writing Series, the Fundraising Series, and the Advocacy Series. For the first time, CDW is offering a Self-Paced Learning Series that offers four webinars on the topic of “Becoming a Social Media Guru.” The self-paced series is presented by Candid, a nonprofit formerly known as the Foundation Center. Participants can access each course for 90 days after they enroll.

Fall trainings are as follows:

• Start-Up Series for Nonprofits training courses: To Be or Not To Be a 501(c)(3); Introduction to Finding Funders; Understanding (and Using) Form 990; and Effective Strategic Planning for the Future.

• Grant Writing Series training courses: Through a Funder’s Eyes: What Makes a Great Proposal; How to Get Organized in Grant Writing; Building a Case for Support for Grant Writing; Crash Course in Grant Writing: Getting Ready; and Crash Course in Grant Writing for Federal Grants.
• Fundraising Series courses: Creating an Annual Fundraising Campaign; Working with the Board on Fundraising Strategies; Individual Donor Development 101; and Year-End Giving from Strategy to Stewardship.

• Advocacy Series courses: Collective Impact Approaches for Problem Solving; Out Loud and Proud; Advocacy at its Best; Issue Campaign: Advocacy for a Cause; and Top 5 Mistakes Organizations Make with DEI.

Participants have the option of attending all trainings in a series or choosing only the ones that interest them.